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 Reflection
Participating in the TATC program, I feel like I have gotten my feet wet. In the beginning I did not know what to expect. The assignment instructions and what was expected have been pretty clear. I have really enjoyed getting to know the people in my class. The peer reviews have been a great learning tool. It is always fun to see other's interpretations of the assignment. I have looked forward to producing a portfolio and learning all the aspects of creating it. I was anxious to learn concepts I could teach in my classroom. For me the TATC experience was a bit overwhelming at times. I learned to make weekly goals and take one step at a time. Looking back, my completion of the course was a culmination of my little successes along the way. My biggest challenge was the portfolio thesis. It was very challenging to come up with the big picture on the portfolio, planning my theme and overall goals for the site.
Standards I-V
Before TATC, I had not spent a lot of time researching subjects on the net. I am not a big surfer. It was great practice using the different search engines on several topics. I welcome the variety in learning. The online classroom format taught me a lot about group participation. TEKS requires group projects, and TATC gave me an excellent framework for setting this up in my classroom.
Standard VII- Desktop Publishing
The variety of assignments made me stretch a side of my brain that I am not accustomed to using very much. I have never considered myself artistic and probably never will, but I have a greater appreciation of what to look for in design. I am going to have to do some more research on converting Publisher documents into universal readability. I was very excited to learn how to convert my published documents into pdf format by using the Acrobat Distiller. It was fun designing desktop products, but I still have a lot to learn. The greeting card was helpful in learning about design placement. The newsletter was a lesson in cut and paste. The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams was an excellent guide for learning the basics of what to look for when designing dtp products. The example of the Joshua Tree will probably always stick with me. I don't feel proficient in DTP but hope to in the future. The basics I learned in this course will be a great foundation for future knowledge.
Standard VIII- Digital Graphics
I really enjoyed creating the collage of images. I showed it to my students and they were very excited about making their own, so I assigned it the next day. They can learn a lot about capturing images and have fun doing it. I received some great insight into the different digital image software packages my classmates are using and what to look for. This was my first opportunity to jump into Photoshop. The terminology and all the tools available are a little overwhelming. Having 20 ready made lessons is going to be a great asset for first time Digital Graphics and Animation instructors like myself. Gaining more confidence every day. I spent the week learning the basics of Live Motion and applying it to my animation assignments. It was really pretty fun. I enjoy using my creative to bring together my ideas with the basic skills I learn. My students will enjoy this too. They really had fun making their digital collages because it was their own creation. Freedom of expression can be a good thing within boundaries.
Standard IX- Multimedia
In the Photo Album assignment I was venturing into familiar territory and unfamiliar territory. Powerpoint feels like an old friend; animation a little less friendly; and video not friendly at all. It was very interesting to learn about the different sound file formats. I spent time learning things about midi files I didn't know. I think sound editing can be fun I just hope to learn much more since I know very little about it. The high moment was sitting back and viewing the photo album and the favorite movie presentations I created. They were both very crude, but I could see some progress. The low moment was the sound editing. I found this to be a little frustrating because I did not fully understand the software. In the future I hope to spend more time with all aspects of multimedia and improve my skills. I think I have just learned the tip of the iceberg.
Standard X- Video
Standard XI - Web Authoring
I am teaching Web Page Authoring for the first time so I am very anxious to learn all I can to share with my students. The basic concepts we learned about Web structure was very helpful in learning some of the terminology used in Web design. I hope to enhance my web page skills in the future. I'm building on my previous knowledge everyday. Evaluating sites for content and function made me take a closer look at what should be included in designing a website. The website for designing rubrics was a valuable future reference for use in my classroom. I am learning more and more about GoLive every day, and through the software discussion I learned some new things about other author software. I had a great time creating the travel website. I have been teaching bits and pieces of GoLive in my class. It was fun seeing how it is all going to fit together when the students design their own website as I did. I was surprised when I was able to do a very little bit of editing Javascript for the password activity. I feel like I have grown in knowledge and confidence. I still do a lot of stupid things especially in the area of posting my work to FC but I am learning from my mistakes. I have always been a hands on software learner. This class is causing me to stretch by working on a variety of assignments. Taking a stab at enhancing someone else's website was a great learning experience. It stretched my web design abilitites by having to discover how the page was created and how those features could be altered. I did not know you could manipulate a website by downloading it and opening it up in Go Live. I am leaving this elective with a little more confidence about the subject of web page authoring. Just like anything, practice will make perfect.
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